Hipster’s Delight – 1976 Fiat 128 woody wagon

Well, we’ve covered plenty of Fiat 128s – apparently this is turning into a Fiat site. And there are definitely some weird ones out there – in their death throes in the US market, some poor Fiat dealer thought he could turn over a few more 128 wagons by putting simulated woodgrain panelling down the sides and back. The great thing is, fake wood is back in, in that ironic hipster way. And fake wood on a super-rare car… well, who could resist? Looking surprisingly tidy, check out the listing in W. Asheville, NC, for best offer… which means the seller can’t reconcile the amount of money he’s spent on the car versus what the market will give. Sound familiar?

There it is, in all its wooden glory. There’s surprisingly little rust, and with the color you should be able to see if it has any. Call me on it if I’m wrong, but I would guess that with the exception of the VW Fox, this is the last 3-door wagon to be sold in the US market. And unlike most other fake-wood cars, this one also has Italian driving fun thrown in.

I doubt JC Whitney still has any Fiat 128 wood panelling kits, so you’ll have to make do with what’s there. There’d be something kind of fun about taking the irony all the way and putting some Abarth 4-spoke wheels on it, and hotrodding it a bit with a bigger carb and performance exhaust.

Not only do you get faux wood, you also get a naugahyde interior. Actually, I’m not sure this qualifies as naugahyde – that might have been too upmarket for Fiat’s entry-level model. But it’s in amazing shape, nonetheless. Not a single tear to be seen, although I’d want to see the full interior before making that call.

The engine compartment looks pretty complete. Rust is visible around the top of the windshield, but for a 128, this is rust-free. Throw some POR-15 on it for now and call it good – if you keep it garaged, you’ll not have to worry about it for a while anyway.

And that’s it – my first post in nearly a month. Thanks for sticking with me though this busy time.

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The Fiat I had was a 76 128 wagon – Red – the German mechanics that replaced the head gasket made “Fun” of it because in the US model the rear windows rolled down and the European model the rear windows did not roll down – or so they told me. It was a fun car while I had it – on the Autobahn I could get up to 90 MPH – top speed and of course the BMWs and Mercs would fly by me as if standing still.